The present invention relates to the field of packaging paper goods. Specifically the invention is a process and a unique combination of machines for wrapping paper goods (e.g. toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels) in wrapping paper.
Wrapping paper is distinct from the standard polypropylene or plastic wrapping film that is used in the industry today. In fact the use of wrapping paper predates the use of plastic wrap by many years. Originally, all such goods were wrapped in paper but as time passed the use of wrapping paper was supplanted by the use of clear plastic wrap. Clear plastic wrap has several advantages from a sale and manufacturing point of view. It is allows the customer to see the product contained within the package and it stretches whereas wrapping paper can rupture. Also, the use of plastic wrap allows for a very clean manufacturing process in that one portion of the plastic wrap may be very easily sealed to another portion of the plastic wrap by simply heat sealing the material without the need for glue. Consequently, there is no longer any glue to get clogged in the machines or require the machine to be shut down at frequent intervals for cleaning. This means that machines may be run for longer periods of time and at greater rates of speed allowing more product to be packaged in a given period of time at a lower cost.
These benefits of plastic wrap quickly made it very popular with manufacturers and distributors. However, plastic wrap is plastic and as such it is perceived as not being friendly to the environment and in today's world that perception is a very important consideration. There is a trend in the world today to emphasize recyclability of the containers for the product as well as the product itself. Also, there is now being seen the development of laws worldwide which limit the packaging of a product to what is needed to protect and market a product. Such a law was recently passed in Germany and may be adopted by the European Community. See The Wall Street Journal, "German Packaging Law May Set Precedent", page B1, 17 March 1992. This law requires not only that the packaging be limited to only the amount necessary to protect and market the product but also requires companies to take back and reuse or recycle their packaging. Therefore, manufactures are now looking for packaging that are perceived to be more environmentally sound and more easily recyclable than plastic wrap. Paper wrapping is such a type of packaging.
The problem is how to use paper wrapping while still maintaining a manufacturing efficiency that is at least reasonably close to that of plastic wrap. One of the major problems that needs to be overcome is the fact that glue must be applied to the wrapping paper in order to make it hold in place once it has been wrapped around the paper goods. This leads to a manufacturing nightmare. The glue that is typically used is a dry glue of the hot melt variety. This glue is used because it solidifies or dries quickly and thus the wrapped goods may be quickly taken from the assembly line and packed. The problem is that hot melt glues first must be melted at high temperatures, usually in excess of 350.degree. F. or approximately 175 Celsius. These high temperatures mean that it is very easy for the machine operator to be burned while performing maintenance upon the machine. Also, the glue is usually applied by the use of a roller which dips into a tank designed to hold the molten glue at a constant level. Because the glue starts to set very quickly once it is applied to the paper and because the glue is fairly viscous, strings or "angel hair" strands of glue begin to extend from the point on the wrapping paper where the glue is applied to the wheel from which the glue is applied. Movement of machine parts, products, and the air cause the glue to be spread throughout the machine and requires the machines to be frequently shut down for cleaning. This results in expensive down time that adversely affects company profits and the cost of the products sold.
The question is how to overcome these problems so that wrapping paper may be used while the speed of manufacture may kept at or near the speed of manufacture when plastic wrap is used. The inventor, by means of a very unique and simple idea, proposes the unique combination of two machines and a process that may be used in conjunction either with those machines or some other combination of similar, but not necessarily equivalent, machines which allow the use of wrapping paper while at the same time preserving the efficiencies of plastic wrap.
The inventor knows of no prior art which either discloses or teaches the invention disclosed herein.